The present invention relates to an apparatus for monitoring, storing and transmitting detected physiological information and, more particularly, to such an apparatus which is portable, self-contained and microprocessor controlled.
There is an urgent need for a small, light weight, self-contained device for monitoring, storing and transmitting detected physiological information, particularly information considered critical in analyzing the condition of a patient. Such information includes electrocardiogram information, echogram information, electroencephalogram information, blood pressure information, and other related physiological information. By having such information instantly available, a physician can evaluate the immediate condition of a patient in order to make an informed diagnosis with regard to the patient's physiological condition and any reported symptoms. By combining this information with the patient's previous history, a physician may be able to treat the patient's condition without having to repeatedly send the patient to the hospital.
While the devices presently available permit a physician or medical technician to monitor one or more different types of such physiological information, they are inadequate for several reasons. The available devices are generally large in size, heavy in weight, and require a highly trained health professional to be physically present with the patient when the data is being acquired. Due to the transient nature of many symptoms, which can occur at any time of the day or night, it is difficult, impractical, and expensive to have a health care professional transport the other devices to the patient or to have the patient go to a hospital whenever a symptom is reported. In addition, many of the presently available devices are relatively inefficient with respect to energy usage and, therefore, must generally be plugged into an AC wall outlet, thereby further hampering the portability of the device. Moreover, many of the prior art monitoring devices which are portable do not have the capability of storing a significant amount of physiological information. Thus, the physician or other health care professional must be located with the patient to obtain the information from the device or the information must somehow be relayed to the physician or other health care professional. This is particularly applicable to the many existing devices which are adapted for the direct transmission of the data over an existing communications system, such as a telephone.
Furthermore, many existing ECG monitoring devices are limited in their capability. For example, although there are various types of cardiac monitoring devices presently available, for the most part, these devices are only capable of receiving information from a single ECG lead or, at most, a limited number of ECG leads, such as four ECG leads. Thus, the current devices only provide the physician with a small portion of the required information needed to make a diagnosis and to establish adequate therapy.
The present invention provides a small, light weight battery powered apparatus for monitoring, storing and transmitting detected physiological information concerning a patient. The apparatus is battery powered and self-contained and provides the ability both to store the physiological information in its own internal memory and to transmit the physiological information over an existing communication system, such as a telephone line. Alternatively, the present invention can display the physiological information on its built-in graphic display or can provide a permanent record of the information with its optional built-in graphic printer. It also provides the individual operator, be it a health care professional or the patient, the ability to actually visualize on the real time graphic display the actual information being recorded. This allows the operator to verify the quality of the information as it is being stored and, if necessary, adjustments to the lead placement can be made prior to the transmitting of data. This reduces the need for repetitive data samples due to artifact, AC interference, somatic tremor, and base line wandering, which are generally encountered with the present devices.
The present invention is capable of receiving, storing and transmitting a full twelve lead ECG signal and/or an eight lead EEG signal, as well as information pertaining to the patient's blood pressure, blood flow, and other ultrasonic data pertaining to the cardiovascular system and/or intracranial processes. In addition, selected information may be transmitted "live" and in "real time," if desired.
Due to its internal memory, the present invention permits the storage of pre-event information. For example, if a patient is having a symptomatic event, such as chest pain, dizziness, numbness, or headaches, stored cardiac or cerebral information indicating the physiological condition of the patient for a predetermined time prior to the occurrence of the symptomatic event can be retained for later analysis by a physician, or other health care professional.
The present invention is particularly useful when employed in a retirement home or nursing home. Generally, nursing homes do not have a physician permanently located on the premises, therefore, when a patient is in distress the physician is called for advice. Since the physician generally does not have all of the information required to make a diagnosis--the patient is referred to a hospital. If the distress is transient, the physician may request that an ECG, EEG or other form of physiological testing be performed. It can take as long as seven days before the physician receives the results from this type of testing. By this time, the patient may have experienced many uncomfortable hours of physical discomfort or pain due to the nature of the symptoms. The present invention permits the physiological information to be taken and recorded at will. Thereafter, the present invention may be taken to the nearest telephone and the information transmitted over the telephone line to a remote location for immediate evaluation by a physician or other health professional.
Because the present invention is light weight, self-contained and portable, it can be worn by an ambulatory patient without discomfort or inconvenience. The device can also be conveniently carried by physicians as they go on their rounds or on visitations. The present invention enables the physician to immediately obtain up-to-the-minute physiological information concerning the patient.
The present invention also has the capability of obtaining and storing patient baseline data, as well as other important patient information, such as name, age, sex, physician's name, present medications and the like. The present invention may be programmed to continuously compare incoming physiological information with the previously stored baseline data and to generate a warning signal in the event that the comparison indicates that the present physiological information deviates from the baseline information by more than a predetermined amount. The doctor or other health professional can determine the permissible deviation limits.